Good for the planet, easy to live with, eye-catching and able to beat some of the world’s fastest (and most expensive) supercars in the performance stakes, the Kia EV6 GT is already shaping up to be the best car of 2023. By a country mile.
The Australian Open came to a close on Sunday night, wrapping up a solid fortnight of tennis mania across Australia – as well as Kia mania. As the tournament’s major sponsor, Kia was absolutely everywhere: on our TVs, on our billboards, and on our roads. With a bold new logo and exciting new cars punctuating some of the best tennis in the world, it was hard to miss Kia.
But truth be told, Kia’s been on the up and up for a while now. The South Korean marque has slowly transformed from being just a cheap and cheerful economy car brand to a brand that’s actually aspirational. That’s in no small part thanks to the success of eyeball-grabbing, interesting cars like the muscly Stinger, spicy Picanto GT and of course, the EV6.
When the EV6 broke cover in 2021, we were immediately smitten. It seemed like a real needle-shifter for Kia, and we knew that when we drove it, we’d be impressed. When we did drive it in 2022, it lived up to our high expectations: sporty, futuristic, eye-catching yet practical, it was a hell of a car. But it was also a tease. Because there was going to be an even better version on the way…
Now, in 2023, we’ve had the chance to put the EV6 GT through its paces – and although it’s only January, we can’t help but feel that it’s already the car of the year. High praise, we know.
First things first, let’s share some vital statistics about the Kia EV6 GT, which might help you understand why it’s such a tantalising prospect.
430kW. 0-100km/h in 3.5 seconds. Dual-motor, all-wheel drive. 420km of driving range. All for less than AU$100,000. Can you see now why we’re frothing a little bit?
It hardly needs saying, but 3.5 seconds is f*cking fast. That’s faster than an Aston Martin Vantage, a BMW M3 Competition, or Lamborghini Urus.
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Those sorts of superlatives would lead you to believe that the EV6 GT is purely some sort of track monster… Which couldn’t be further from the truth. No, what’s really exciting about the EV6 GT is just how practical it is. It’s the ultimate daily driver.
Case in point: it can seat four adults in complete comfort (and five without too much imposition), meaning you can bring people along for the ride. It’s got a highly practical 520L boot capacity which can be increased to 1,300 L when the rear seats are folded.
Not only is it capable of ultra-fast 800V charging, meaning it can charge from 10% to 80% in as little as 18 minutes, but it’s also one of only a handful of EVs on the market that’s capable of vehicle-to-load charging: that is, you can use the EV6 GT to power external devices, such as electrical camping equipment, power tools or laptops.
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On top of that, it’s a Kia, which means it comes with a 7-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty – and when it does come time to service it, you’ll benefit from one of the widest dealer networks in the country. That might not be very sexy but when we’re talking about cutting-edge electric cars, having that piece of mind is pretty important.
Something that might get you a little hot and bothered is how much it costs. As we mentioned above, you can pick up a Kia EV6 GT for just shy of $100,000. That might be a lot of money for a Korean car, but when you consider it’s a supercar-beating spaceship from the future, that’s a really competitive price point.
There are few vehicles on the market that offer the sort of performance and refinement the EV6 GT offers for that sort of money. That’s cheaper than a Mercedes-AMG A45 or about twice as cheap as an Audi RS6 or a Porsche Taycan 4S – all vehicles that Roland Rivero, General Manager of Product at Kia Australia, says Kia is targeting locally. And you know what? With the exception of maybe the Porsche, the EV6 GT is about as nice, if not nicer.
Honestly, we can’t reserve enough praise for the EV6 GT. It ticks all the boxes: it’s fast, it’s good-looking, it’s practical, it’s good for the planet, it’s reasonably priced… Why wouldn’t you want one?
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